Expect Mike Sainristil to play defense this fall, Jim Harbaugh says
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — It was more than just a phase or a fad.
This spring, Michigan football decided to move a handful of players around, including linebacker Kalel Mullings to running back and cornerback Eamonn Dennis to wide receiver. While the former is also expected to play primarily on defense while the latter seems to have made a wholesale position switch, the big name we’ve heard about all spring and beyond has been wide receiver Mike Sainristil playing as a defensive back.
And, as Jim Harbaugh says, that shift appears to be permanent.
While his role this fall has yet to be determined — especially with summer conditioning having officially started on Friday, with fall camp still months off — Harbaugh noted on Thursday that fans can expect to see Sainristil playing on the defensive side of the ball once games begin, to be sure.
“I know he’s going to stick with defense because we just went through a spring practice where he really stood out,” Harbaugh said. “He was starting at nickel when the spring ended. Now he’s going to get some competition from Rod Moore who wasn’t at spring. He can play nickel and play corner, and then the days when we brought him back to receiver — he didn’t look like he missed any type of beat there as well. Definitely on track to be a two or three-way player.
“He’s going to play some special teams as well. Super excited. He’s putting some good tools in his toolbox. The more tools, the more really good tools you have in your toolbox, the more valuable the toolbox is. It’s all A-plus-plus for Mike Sainristil.”
That said, Sainristil will still play wide receiver — and, as noted, special teams — but how involved will he be on the offense? How much time did Sainristil spend on that side of the ball this spring?
Harbaugh shares that he did spend the lion’s share on the defensive side of the ball, and expects that his knowledge of playing offense is one of the things that’s really aiding him in playing defensive back.
“Percentage-wise it was definitely more defense. Per reps, per plays, per meeting times, I think — that was the new position on defense. The cool thing was, he was taking his offensive knowledge and being able to apply that as a secondary defender.
“As a corner, or a nickel he knows what the receiver is trying to get done. Now he is trying to do it — how the offensive player is trying to attack. His growth as a football player overall is really exponentially grown. Probably a good question is why we don’t do that with every player?
“It really takes three critical things for a guy to be a two-way player. They have to have a skillset, they have to be smart — smart enough to do it and learn two different playbooks — and they have to be willing. That doesn’t line up with every single player.”
We’ll know more about Sainristil’s role this fall once fall camp arrives in August.
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Everything Jim Harbaugh had to say at the Michigan Football Showcase
